Zhu Ying had already made up his mind about the arrangement of the vassal king.
The speed of information dissemination determined the territory that the Ming court could directly control.
For example, the Western Regions were nominally under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, but in fact it was difficult for the Ming Dynasty to achieve direct control.
Just talking about the back-and-forth dissemination of information, even if it is done at a fast pace, it will take nearly a month to go back and forth.
This time difference resulted in many policies of the Ming Dynasty being unable to be implemented in the Western Regions.
Zhu Ying did not want to launch a large-scale war. Any nationwide effort would easily shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.
In this regard, the only ones suffering are the common people.
Although at the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, more than 70% of the areas in the Ming Dynasty were still in good weather, once the war started, all the reserves accumulated over the years would be consumed.
From this point of view, only small-scale local wars are most in line with the current interests of the Ming Dynasty.
This was also Zhu Ying's biggest purpose in inventing the matchlock gun and the professional soldier.
Adding the two together, the effect will be obvious for some small areas.
And the feudal king is the best vanguard.
Regardless of whether it was a vassal king who had already become a vassal or a vassal king who had not yet become a vassal, Zhu Ying planned to move their vassal territory outside the Ming Dynasty.
If you want a vassal territory, I can give you matchlocks and professional soldiers and fight for it yourself.
Of course, even the conquered vassal territories, economy, culture, and local government affairs were subject to Ming Dynasty control.
Zhu Ying currently has twenty-six imperial uncles, two who died young, and several others who died young.
There seemed to be many princes, and perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang was a little worried about these vassal kings.
But in Zhu Ying's opinion, it's really not enough.
If you add it several times more, there will be no problem.
Not to mention other places, one Goryeo alone is enough to confer dozens of princes.
That's right.
What Zhu Ying wanted to do was to enfeoff the princes similarly to the Zhou Dynasty.
For example, Goryeo was divided into more than a dozen regions and granted to vassal kings.
Under the influence of Chinese culture, it was only a matter of time before the entire Goryeo was completely Chineseized.
And there are so many tributary countries, all of which were nominally suzerain states under the Ming Dynasty, developed into vassal states, and then became vassal states under the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Ying thinks the problem is not big.
Anyway, there is no other meaning. If the vassal country is poor, it should be poorer. The Chinese culture should be spread first, and all the local people should be Chineseized first.
In the Huagai Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang was listening to Liu He reporting on the conversation between his eldest grandson and the princes.
After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang didn't express much, and was just a little bit sad.
"This eldest grandson, eh, but this is not bad. Our eldest grandson is right. We are all members of the same family and should help. Our sons cannot just look forward to their eldest nephew."
"It's worthwhile to put in some effort for our Ming Dynasty. Just try hard. There's nothing bad about it outside. It's all developing slowly."
"I can also plant the sweet potatoes and other crops that my grandson sent me. I'll have enough to eat, so there won't be any hardship."
He knew very well that it seemed that the Great Sun was going to hand over the military power to these vassal kings, so that they could lead the troops to fight.
Just thinking about sharp weapons such as matchlock guns, Zhu Yuanzhang personally thought it was good.
And this can also reduce the conflicts between the emperor and the vassal princes to a great extent.
...
The princes were young and could not hide things in their hearts. Soon, the news that Zhu Ying supported the vassal king and intended to let the vassal king take over the military power spread in the palace.
"Mom, why do you think my eldest brother is doing this? If all the vassal kings take control of the military power, wouldn't it lead to a situation of separatism among the heroes?"
In the back hall of Chunhe Palace, Zhu Yunwen told Mrs. Lu about this.
Then he asked doubtfully.
Although he had only been a grandson for a period of time and had not been canonized, he had thought about it in the same way as the emperor.
After hearing this, Mrs. Lu was silent for a long time, her beautiful eyebrows slightly wrinkled.
For a moment, she didn't understand the key to this.
Although Lu is smart, the information available is limited. Without enough information to analyze and guess, it is difficult to make accurate judgments.
After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Lu said: "This matter is not as simple as it seems. Although I haven't figured it out yet."
"But your eldest brother is by no means such a simple person. Even if your eldest brother doesn't know clearly, His Majesty will intervene."
"And from the current situation, it seems that His Majesty supports your elder brother's approach, which means there must be something we know about it."
"Not only do we not know, but perhaps no one else knows your brother's purpose except His Majesty."
Lu said after analysis.
Although she didn't know why His Highness Changsun did this, there was no doubt that Lu was very good at guessing people's minds.
Putting this matter aside, I went to see His Highness Changsun and His Majesty, and found that something was wrong.
Zhu Yunwen nodded, acknowledging his mother's words.
Huang Zicheng was the teacher assigned to him by Grandpa Huang.
Above Huang Zicheng, there were more knowledgeable gentlemen, all of whom gave advice to Grandpa Huang.
It’s impossible for Grandpa Huang to be unclear.
It shows that what my mother said makes sense.
"It's just my mother. No matter what eldest brother and grandpa Huang think, this is military power. Once the vassal king has military power, it will be completely different."
Zhu Yunwen said slightly excitedly.
Whether there is military power or not, in today's early Ming Dynasty, it is completely clear-cut.
For example, the vassal kings who guarded the frontiers and the vassal kings within the Ming Dynasty were not on the same level.
It seems that when he becomes a vassal, he can also control the military power.
At this time, Zhu Yunwen suddenly thought of the soldiers training in the palace martial arts field.
The scenes of neat military appearance and powerful deterrence.
My heart felt a little hot.
"Don't think too much about it for the time being, and don't get too involved in this matter. Maybe it's not a good thing to control the military. My mother always feels that there is something fishy about it."
"It's not that easy, and it won't be that simple."
Lu said in warning.
She comes from a low background, and although she is not at the bottom, she understands it in other ways.
Some things seem easy to get, but when you get them, you may lose even more.
Before she became the crown prince and second concubine, her family also ran a business, and Mrs. Lu helped manage it behind the scenes, and learned a lot from it.
Although the status of women in the Ming Dynasty was low, it was not obvious in the palace. Lu would study every day.
Hearing what his mother said, Zhu Yunwen said unhappily: "Mom, you told me two days ago that you wanted to declare vassal status as soon as possible. Why do you have to wait again now?"
"I've been thinking of ways lately to see if I can go to Grandpa Huang to beg him to be crowned king first. Maybe it's the best time to crown my eldest brother."
"I think that when the matter of my canonization was revealed, how could the emperor give me a good domain?"
When Mrs. Lu heard this, she had no intention of blaming her. She followed the instructions and said, "If it was favor from other aspects, my mother would naturally not say much."
"But you also know very well what military power means. From Wei Niang's point of view, there are only two scenarios for opening up military power."
"The first is to replace the military generals and put most of the military power in the hands of the royal family."
"Secondly, it can only mean that there is a war. Now the Ming Dynasty is generally stable. Although there are some places that are not convinced by the king, it is not to the extent that the princes go to war."
"It seems that it is your eldest brother who intends to launch a conquest."
Speaking of this, Lu's eyes suddenly lit up.
She suddenly thought of the possibility of Zhu Ying doing this.
In particular, allowing the princes and grandsons to directly participate in training soldiers, and even relaxing restrictions on military power, naturally means expanding to the outside world.
After trying to figure out some of Zhu Ying's past events, Lu felt more and more that her guess was very accurate.
After giving Zhu Yunwen a complicated look, Lu said warmly: "I'll take this matter as my mother's advice. Don't go to His Majesty or your elder brother to talk about the vassal state again."
"Let's leave it alone for now. According to the rules, your vassal territory will be arranged only after your eldest brother ascends the throne."
There is no doubt that Zhu Yunwen is Lu's most beloved son.
When it was speculated that Zhu Ying might expand his territory and let members of the royal family lead troops to fight, how could Lu, as a mother, be willing to let her son live such a miserable life?
In Lu's mind, Yunwen was definitely a prosperous place, and being a wealthy prince with peace and stability was the best thing.
It's just that Zhu Yunwen obviously didn't understand Lu's good intentions.
He said a little irritably: "Mom, I don't want to stay in the palace anymore. Uncle Seventeen is the same age as me, only a few months older."
"Uncles like the Eighteenth Emperor and others are younger than me, and I am already old enough to become a vassal. Why should I wait until my eldest brother ascends the throne?"
"The emperor is so majestic. I don't know how many years it will be before my eldest brother takes the throne. Is it possible that I have been waiting in the palace?"
"Besides, this September is my chance. If I miss this time, I will have to wait for too many years."
"And after my eldest brother ascends the throne, he will be the grandson of the East Palace. If your grandpa allows my eldest brother to live in the East Palace, then the place where I live will have to be given to my eldest brother."
"Mom, I don't want to, I want that. If I want it, just be a fan."
After Zhu Yunwen said this, his voice became sharper.
Thinking that the place where he lives now might have to be vacated for them, this made him feel very irritable.
All of this should originally belong to him.
The more he thought about it, a hint of cruelty began to appear in Zhu Yunwen's eyes.
It's the hatred towards my elder brother for taking away everything he has now.
"Yunwen!"
Lu shouted sharply.
Zhu Yunwen, who was immersed in resentment, was woken up by Mrs. Lu.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
At this moment, Zhu Yunwen asked with some confusion.
"Do you know that the reason why your eldest brother gave up the military power is to let the princes lead troops to fight and fight to the death with those barbarians who drink Maoru's blood."
"If my mother's guess is correct, it may even happen that your vassal territory will need to lead your own troops to fight by then. Only after fighting to the death with those barbarians can you control your vassal territory."
"Besides, those vassal lands are poor and remote places, and everything has to be managed from scratch."
"This is what you want, Fan."
Lu said in a deep voice.
Originally, she didn't want to tell her son too clearly about the speculations above. First of all, these were all her own guesses, and there was no evidence to prove them.
Secondly, he was afraid that his son would be loud and expose this speculation, causing a rift between the princes and His Highness the Grand Sun.
When the time comes, Yunwen may be responsible for all this.
"This, this is impossible, how is this possible?"
Zhu Yunwen said with some trembling.
Although after training this month, Zhu Yunwen is now less weak and more heroic.
But he was still a little afraid of things like fighting, having received Confucian education and guidance from civil servants since he was a child.
Because he was the grandson of the emperor, he was not trained by Zhu Yuanzhang like other princes.
War is not a child's play. Zhu Yunwen, who has been exposed to government affairs, knows that it can really kill people.
Besides, not everyone can bear the pain of marching.
"Otherwise, why would your elder brother let the princes have military power and knowledge of military matters? There are not so many vassal lands to seal in the Ming Dynasty's borders."
"But now, your eldest brother is not just a vassal for one or two princes, but a vassal for all the vassals. He has relaxed the restrictions on military power."
Lu explained.
Zhu Yunwen hesitated for a moment and asked: "Mom, but Grandpa Huang has sealed off all the vassal lands."
Lu said: "So what, where the vassal is is just a matter of your Majesty's words. Your Majesty must support your elder brother now."
"At that time, all the vassal territories of the vassal kings will probably have to be adjusted."
Lu said firmly that at present, this is the only possibility.
"Well, then I'll listen to my mother."
Zhu Yunwen's lips moved and he finally said helplessly.
He really doesn't want to go to war.
...
News from the palace quickly reached Li Jinglong's ears.
After all, his popularity in the palace, especially among the princes and grandsons, is quite good.
In addition, he is also a member of the royal family, so he has relatively free access to some areas of the palace.
After getting the news, the first thing he thought of was Zhu Di, who he had grown up with.
So he immediately sent someone to pass on this matter.
"My cousin will be very happy when he gets this news."
...
In Kunning Palace, Zhu Ying frowned deeply as she looked at the accounts reported by Ye Yueqing.
He did not expect that the profits his Qunying Chamber of Commerce had made in Ming Dynasty this month would be so low.
Compared with Frontier's profit, it didn't even reach 30%.
"Is there something wrong with the statistics somewhere? This number is obviously inconsistent with the current situation."
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Zhu Ying asked Ye Yueqing.
Although the profits of smuggling in the border areas are indeed much higher, the Qunying Chamber of Commerce can be said to have unhindered access to the Ming Dynasty now.
In nature, they are already imperial merchants. No matter what business they do, they can easily get support from the government.
The territory of the Ming Dynasty was so vast that it could not be compared to the Western Regions, grasslands and other places.
But both in terms of trade volume and profits, it is very pessimistic.
The Qunying Chamber of Commerce has begun to shift its focus towards the Ming Dynasty, but the actual situation has begun to shrink significantly compared with before.
There are more people and the industrial chain has expanded, but the money is mostly less.
Ye Yueqing replied: "Your Highness, there is no error in the accounts. This was calculated after checking it ten times."
When Ye Yueqing saw the accounts, he thought there was something wrong. After counting for several days, he found no errors at all, so he showed them to Zhu Ying.
Zhu Ying frowned deeply.
Through this account, he seemed to have discovered a very serious problem.
After thinking for a while, Zhu Ying called Guo Zhong in, who was waiting outside, and ordered: "Go to the Hanlin Academy and fetch all the classics related to the Ministry of Household Affairs of the Song Dynasty."